Faux Pas
by Eternal-Explosionist
Summary: Sequel to The Ricochet. A "faux pas" is a socially improper act or remark. For example, stopping a semi-truck and Hulking out in the middle of New York traffic. A faux pas. Now, due to super-sized blunders, Banner and Smith are sent off the radar to recover and train at Charles Xavier's Institue for Gifted Youngsters. Historically? Not awesome.
1. Chapter 1

_**Faux Pas**_

_A "faux pas" is a socially improper act or remark. For example, stopping a semi-truck and Hulking out in the middle of New York traffic. A faux pas. Now, due to super-sized blunders, Banner and Smith are sent off the radar to recover and train at Charles Xavier's Institue for Gifted Youngsters. Historically? Not awesome._

**Chapter One**

She stepped in tune to her ipod, swaying with the beat as her headphones covered her ears. Her glasses were in place as she minded her own business on her way to work. She was just your average New York citizen on her way to her place of employement. Nothing suspicious about her average height, average hair cut that was now nearing her shoulders, average glasses, average freckles, and average good attitude. Trademarkingly russet hair was pushed back by the wind and she shoved her bangs away from her eyes and off to the side, their length increasing as well. Her hands slipped into the front pockets of her jeans and she looked like just any other New Yorker.

Bridgette Smith was most certainly _not _your everyday, plain Jane.

Despite her normal appearance, it were her inner workings that were far more complicated and interesting. With her natural skills amplified, such as running, strength, and endurance, she was most reknown for her armor-like skin. Skin that wouldn't cut or bruise, that could deflect bullets, and withstand severe trauma. A super-soldier serum, one designed to duplicate the Captain America success, was administered to her body prematurely. The dosage wasn't quite finished and it was most certainly not meant for her young body. Originally, it was meant for her older brother, Marcus. The German terrorist group known as Hydra, interrupted the process and took the young girl as their experiment. Since then, Bridgette learned to control her power, broke free of Hydra, won favor with the mercenary named Deadpool, and evaded SHIELD. That is, until a four months ago.

When SHIELD called her in for the Avengers Initiative.

When Earth was under immediate threat with the mischief god of Asgard, Loki, leading the alien Chitaurian army to ruin Earth for the Tesseract, a blue cube that had the ability to sustain their planet for energy for decades to come. By being involved with the Avengers Initiative, Bridgette met an odd assortment of people. A living legend. A billionaire, playboy genius. A demi-god. A man with breath taking anger issues. Along with a couple of master assassins. While the team was full of clashing personalities, threats to their immediate well being, trust issues, great dislike to working with others, they did manage to gain their traction. Once they found where they all fit, it was impossible to stop them, even when Loki wielded the ultimate power source and an alien army.

The Avengers still won, against all the odds. She had her place on the team, codenamed Ricochet, a play off her natural resistance to force. She had her role beside the massive powerhouse known as the Hulk, the "other guy" to Dr. Bruce Banner, a mild, well mannered scientist. With her biologically twisted upgrade, she could withstand the Hulk's force. When she wasn't trying to fend off his fists, she was able to talk with him. In fact, she had the best record in communicating with him while he was angry, to the point where he would calm down enough for Bruce to return. Tony Stark teasingly called her the "Hulk Whisperer" and the others had their pokes of fun as well, but she didn't mind. It was nice to have a purpose.

She loved being with Bruce Banner, as well as his intimidating other half. Not that she had the courage to say the words yet herself anyway. Not quite. She would take a few more rounds of sparring with the other guy before admitting. Rather, she didn't feel obligated to vocally express herself as she and Bruce simply understood each other. They didn't need the overly flowery words to show their feelings. They just knew. That was exactly how she liked it.

The time clock buzzed as she entered her time card and she shrugged off her jean jacket before entering the kitchen of the shop. A blonde hair girl gave her a smile and wave, which Bridgette easily returned. Grace, a fellow waitress who developed a crush on her Avenger team mate Steve Rogers, a.k.a Captain America. Steve was a regular at their shop as he was trying to adjust to the new lifestyle of their modern timeline. Grace was a sweet girl and Bridgette perhaps hinted that the Captain should take her to lunch sometime. Hinted. Gently nudged. Blatantly suggested the idea. Who knows.

It wasn't a particularly busy day at the shop. It was nice, steady with a few slow periods in between, the kind of day the German girl enjoyed the most. The low maintaince gave her days to be chatty and charming with the patrons and her coworkers, especially Grace who was simply smittened by Steve. She was informed that he was just the perfect gentleman, didn't take things too fast, was charming, handsome, and adorably shy at some points. Bridgette couldn't help but feel happy for her two friends because Steve often spoke about the girl in a similar fashion. Although Bridgette had to coax him a bit before he gave such details. To him, Grace was beautiful, smart, sometimes timid, and always had a lovely smile for him. Bridgette was only mildly aware that the Captain had a previous love interest from his own time and that it still hurt from time to time, which was another reason why he and Grace were good together. They were taking things very slow, very careful, but so sincere every step of the way.

Grace and Bridgette were chatting as they cleaned up a few of the empty tables when the bell chimed again, alerting them to a new customer. A woman and a young boy stood in the doorway, each blonde haired and judging by Grace's smile, the Avenger would guess that they were family. Grace gave a wave, saying that she would be back in a moment. Bridgette gave a sort of smile once she noticed that the young boy was openly staring at her. He shyed behind his mother once their eyes met and she quirked a brow in interest.

"Family?" guessed Bridgette as the two returned the dirty dishes to the kitchen sink area. Grace nodded.

"It's my mom and my little brother Tommy," she answered with a smile. "It's a nice surprise, I didn't know they were stopping by today!" A thought struck her and she looked to the blonde.

"Hey, any chance you and your family was out helping with the whole New York clean-up?" she asked. "Your brother seems kind of familiar..."

_ Though there was a brief instant where a young boy pulled on her pant leg, requesting her ear. So, she bent down and he whispered to her,_

_ "Are you a superhero?" Stunned that he could identify her while in her usual disguise it took her an extra moment to gather her wits and smile at the boy, a sneaky grin._

_ "Don't tell anyone, okay?" His eyes rounded as he gaped up at her. So, she gave a wave and returned to helping out Steve with a ruined building._

Grace gave a nod. "Yes, we were out helping. Did you meet him or something?" Debating a second, Bridgette nodded.

"Yeah. I'm pretty sure he asked me if I was a superhero. Weird, huh?" she laughed. Grace laughed and shook her head as they headed back out into the dining room.

"My gosh, he's been on such a superhero kick since "The Avengers" incident. I swear, that's all he does is look up the footage, and run about the kitchen with a lid pretending to be Captain America. He's silly," she explained. Bridgette shrugged.

"Not a bad role model, that Captain America."

Blue eyes glance ahead when the bell chimed again, allowing the figures of Steve Rogers and Bruce Banner to enter the shop. Steve was still tall with his neatly parted blonde hair and rather stoic expression, the super soldier. Bruce stepped inside after him, still quiet and mild manner as always. Bridgette grinned at the two, happy that they stopped in for a visit. Bruce was slowly testing out the waters with the public. They had gone to a few movies and he always traveled with someone, not trusting himself enough to be alone. He was getting better, in her opinion. Sure there were a couple of maybe worrisome instances, but they worked out all right. Her hand nearly had the feeling crushed out of it, but everything turned out okay. They learned that going to see a scary movie was not quite their hottest idea.

"Aw, now we have trouble," teased Bridgette. The two returned the smile and Steve's attention became distracted by Grace, who excitedly introduced him to her mom and brother. Bruce stood in the doorway awkwardly, running a hand through his curly brown hair. Grinning, Bridgette walked right up to him.

"Hello, sir, how may I help you today?" she asked, taking out her pad and pen from behind her ear. "In case you're curious, we have some delicious specials today. Quite the bargain too." He gave short laugh, deciding to play along with her game.

"Well miss, I'm afraid what I'm interested isn't on your menu," he played. Bridgette nodded sagely, pretending to jot down notes.

"Well sir, looks like you'll have to wait until five o'clock like everyone else." She broke out of character by laughing and tucked her pen away again. She noticed an elderly couple eating outside that needed refills. "Go ahead and choose a seat, I'll be right back with you, doc."

"Of course. Take your time." She gave a salute as she turned heel, picking up a water pitcher on her way.

"Roger that!"

While Bridgette stepped outside, proping the door open as she did so, Bruce took an open table and settled into his chair. He could see her chat with the couple, smiling and engaging in polite conversation. A smile pulled at his mouth as he observed her cheerful demeanor, content. Her easy-going personality and nonchalance was such a relief to the stress that came from being the incredible Hulk. Positive attitude and reinforcement simply did wonders for him, far more satisfying than quiet meditation. He still kept with his other calming practices, accepting the anger of being the way he was, and the constant adjustments. It was better now, at least, it wasn't as suffocating as it always had been.

He could hear the tone change over at the Captain's table. The soldier was standing beside his girlfriend, Grace, and it looked as if the younger boy was arguing with his mother about something. The mother tried to shush him and he saw the boy look out the window to Bridgette who was still chatting and pouring drinks.

"But mom, she is!" he protested. "She told me so, that day at the clean up! Ask Gracie's boyfriend, he was there-"

"Thomas Wheatley, you stop this nonsense right now!" she chided, pointing an authorative finger. "I don't want to hear one more word!" The blonde boy looked absolutely crushed that his own mother wasn't believing him. His face scrunched up as tears dared to fall and he yanked his hand free from his mom's and pushed past Grace and Steve. His legs took him out of the shop, the door open so nothing to stand in his way. Bruce felt his heart still in shock of the realization. That boy was still running toward the busy New York traffic, not paying attention to where he was going.

There was the clatter of chairs as everyone scrambled to move at once. The Captain called out, and the deed was done.

"Bridgette!"

Ricochet saw it all in slow motion. She had just been topping off the couple's drinks when her periphial vision caught sight of Tommy sprinting out of the shop. Her body reacted immediately, turning to run, the pitcher crashing to the ground. The traffic was busy as always, hazordous on a good day to someone paying attention. The yellow taxi would miss him, the timing working out with enough notice for the man to slam on the brakes. The Captain's voice echoed in her ears as she dashed after him. Tommy seemed to be startled out of his daze due to the variety of horns blaring at him, and he stumbled to a halt. An oversized load semi-truck was barreling along, the light green, and the driver seemed to be checking a sheet of paper, not properly watching the road.

"I got you."

She easily placed herself in front of the boy and lowered herself into a good defensive stance. The front of the truck smashed into her hands painfully, the metal hot from working all day in the sun, and the force substantial. Gritting her teeth, she held her ground, heels digging into the road, high heeled shoes snapping under the pressure. The tires squeeled against her defense and the driver was startled out of his studyig stupor, truck hissing as he hit the brakes himself, the trailer swaying out of line. Convinced that it would no longer move forward, Bridgette turned to the pale faced boy who looked up at her with a frightened expression. She gave a breathy laugh and a half grin.

"And this is exactly why you should check twice before crossing the street. Okay?" she lectured. He nodded vigorously, too stunned to say anything else. She held out her hand and he took it with no hesitation whatsoever.

The surrounding New York traffic wailed with horns and most was still moving forward. Gasping, Bridgette scooped Tommy up into her arms as the rest of the cars propelled themselves toward the pair. Her original instinct was to jump onto the front end of the semi and at least get out of reach. To say it didn't go according to her plan would be something of an understatement.

There was an earsplitting roar and something of a minor eathquake as the giant form of the Hulk landed before them, allowing the car to run into his shin. His green skin covered his overexpanded, hyperly muscular body as he continued to roar at the cars that were piling up now, running into the car before them.

"Oh no-dangit-Bruce-you shouldn't've-aw man!" she groaned, unable to string words together. She kept her grip firm on Tommy as she hurried over to the sidewalk where everyone was waiting. She exchanged a worried glance with the Captain and passed the boy to his mother, simultaneously tugging her apron off and she handed it to Grace's arms, who was still staring at her, dumbstruck.

"Well, uh, consider this my two weeks notice?" she supplied with a shrug. "Gotta go!" She turned to run when she saw Hulk picking up a taxi and examing it at eye level, growling at the device as if it posed a threat since it ran into him. The girl groaned, running back into the fray.

"Hulk!" she called, hands at the sides of her mouth to amplify her volume. "Big guy, we've got to go!" Sirens were becoming louder as the mess grew, cars upon cars were stopped as the typical rush hour was drawing near. As Hulk wasn't taking immediate action, Bridgette groaned and ran up to his side, giving his leg a noticable pat.

"C'mon, we gotta go!" she repeated. He looked down and she motioned for him to follow her, the police's sirens approaching fast. People scream and dove out of their way as the pair made their way through the traffic and onto the sidewalk. Bridgette was running while the Hulk kept up with an even jog, footsteps like thunder. She took off her glasses and sent them to the ground, no point in them now. It was impossible to run to Stark tower, they didn't want the attention and media to follow them there and in the process reveal Bruce's name to the public. They couldn't just duck and hide in an alley, Hulk's size tossed that option out the window. There was a warehouse up ahead that didn't exactly look like it was in business and Bridgette took off towards it, the street becoming less crowded with people.

Skidding to a halt before the large truck enterance, she slipped her hands beneath the grip and heaved it up with some assistance from the Hulk, the door didn't stand a chance. She waved him inside quickly, one hand still holding onto the door. The Hulk bent low to avoid hitting his head and Bridgette quickly closed the giant door behind him. Breathing hard, she leaned against the door, mind working in overdrive.

The had revealed themselves to the public. Not that she had much of a costume to begin with, just her thick framed glasses, but now the cat was out of the bag. Not to mention Bruce had Hulked out in the middle of the street during New York rush hour, plenty of people had seen them. What were they going to do? She obviously couldn't go back to work. Was Director Fury going to have to arrange something? She hoped not, she liked living in the city.

"Man..." she muttered. She could hear the shifting of the Hulk's form behind her as he moved his large hand near her, unsure if he could touch her or not. She gave a half smile, directing his hand to her shoulder, allowing the contact.

"Hulk and Bridgette...in trouble?" he guessed, unsure of how to word his question. She gave a hard sigh and nodded, flipping open her cellphone.

"Yeah, big guy...I think we're in trouble..." She brought the phone to her ear as it started to ring, taking another breath.

"Hey Tony, listen..."

* * *

**REVIEW! Tadaaaa! I couldn't resist, Bridgette and Bruce were practically begging for another story! And I wasn't in the mood to make little oneshots (because I would get carried away and it would turn into a story anyway lol) So! I hope you readers enjoy this! I may be changing it to a cross-over (my first!) because it will be involving the X-Men cast, so, yeah. Plus! I made banners for the first two stories and when our internet isn't being stupid, I'll see what I can do about those!**

**Your thoughts would be lovely and I hope you enjoy as much as I do!**


	2. Chapter 2

_**Faux Pas**_

**Chapter Two**

"In the middle of New York's traffic...Where everyone could see you, plain as day..."

Director Fury stood before Bridgette in the safety of Stark Tower. The girl stood at attention as best as she could, shoes being discarded since they were broken (another pair, gone), arms clasped behind her back and feet shoulder width apart. She kept her mouth shut, for the moment, while Director Fury read her the right act.

"This ruins any cover up you may have had in place before the Initiative and Loki attack, do you understand?" he demanded. Tony, Steve and Bruce were standing a distance behind her, all quiet. She released a hard breath and answered.

"Yes. I understand."

"You are now a target for others who may be wanting to hurt SHIELD or the Avengers. You've painted a bull's eye on your back, Smith." She nodded.

"I rather it be me," she answered honestly. "Rather I be the freak show than any of the others." Fury gave her a stern look and she shrugged. "Seriously. Isn't it better that it's me, someone with no past whatsoever? Instead of Stark, the billionaire. Steve, the time jumping solidier. Bruce, the tempermental scientist." She glanced over her shoulder. "No offense guys."

"None taken," assured the Captain. Fury's glare moved from Bridgette to the men past her shoulder, taking a step forward.

"But it wasn't just you, Smith." His glare landed on Bruce who looked up cautiously. Tony had received Bridgette's phone call and drove out to pick up the Ricochet and a doctor who was clutching the shreds of his clothing, the girl half hauling him so they could get into the vehicle with tinted windows as quickly as possible.

"Dr. Banner." Bridgette flinched, hoping that maybe somehow, the Director of SHIELD would over look the fact that Bruce went Hulk in the center of New York. Not likely.

"While Smith was busying fighting two ton trucks, you also Hulked out in clear viewing of the public," he continued. Bridgette had to fight a groan. Bruce gave a single nod, arms folded.

"Yes," he admitted. Bridgette steped forward to distract Fury from the doctor.

"Listen, it was my fault. I should've been faster-"

"You shouldn't have been involved in the first place," corrected Fury. A flash of irritation flooded her and she stepped forward again.

"In the first place? The kid was going to get hit!" she defended.

"And now you've given the public a clear look into the personal identity of one of the Avengers!" snapped Fury, turning back to her. "The public, the police are trying to get their hands on you all. Tony is already very open and forthcoming due to Stark Industries, what makes you think that you, or Dr. Banner could handle it?"

She stammered for a moment to regain her ground. "A-alright, fine! They got a look at me, so what? I wasn't going to stand by and let that boy's death make the six o'clock news! At least they saw me doing something good-I wasn't robbing a bank or anything!"

"You weren't." He turned to Bruce again. "But the Hulk doesn't always invoke the feeling of security, especially when he's tossing taxi cabs."

"Hey, listen now-"

"I understand-"

Nick Fury lifted his hands to silence the two Avengers. Bruce complied and Bridgette shut her mouth with a bit more difficulty, watching the director intensely. He took a deep breath. The Avengers Initiative was going to be the death of him. Wth the Council constantly on his back, the other realms daring to focus on Earth due to their interactions with the Tesseract, Stark's overall personality, Steve Rogers' place out of time, Bridgette's background with Hydra, and Dr. Banner's Hulk. He didn't have the time or the means to watch out for city rush hour backups due to the Hulk and Ricochet. Fury took another breath before continuing.

"You need to go off radar for awhile," he instructed. "Until this completely calms down."

"Off radar?" repeated Bridgette. Bruce gave a nod.

"Back to Calcutta?" he suggested. The girl's jaw dropped at the suggestion and before she could argue Fury shook his head, hands clasped behind his back again.

"Not quite, doctor," he corrected. "There's somewhere specifically I would like you both to go. Granted, I was hoping to send you there on better grounds, rather than an escape route." Bridgette huffed instead of looking sheepish and the doctor remained professionally neutral.

"Both of us?" asked Ricochet, brow furrowing in confusion.

"Yes, Smith. I know you and Dr. Banner work as something of a pair, and I've decided that it's safer for you two to be working together rather than apart," he explained.

"How sweet," snarked Tony, rolling his eyes. Bridgette gave a teasing glare over her shoulder, ignoring the flush of her cheeks.

"Shove it, Stark."

"Would love to, sweetheart."

"Ass hat-" Director Fury cleared his throat and Bridgette quieted the rest of her banter. Right. She was in trouble. He drew up one of Stark Industries computer screens and pulled up an image of some large estate. It was a lovely complex, lots of green open space along with minor forestry.

"This is Xavier's Institute for Gifted Youngsters," defined Fury. He tapped the screen and an image of a bald older gentleman in a wheel chair. "And this is the founder, Charles Xavier."

The two nodded, Bruce moving to stand beside the girl and to see the screen better. "All right, and what do you need us to do?"

"You will be acting as ambassadors, so to speak," continued Fury. "Xavier's school is for more than intellectually gifted students." Her ears perked at the suspicious undertone.

"More than intelligence?" she asked. "What could be more than intelligence?"

"Genetic mutation."

It seemed as if the entire room tensed at the words. Genetic mutations? What did he mean by that? Was it similar to Hydra? Experiments gone wrong?

"What do you mean by that, Director?" asked Dr. Banner. Fury tapped the screen and a directory of some sort expanded for them to see. A few rows of students, like a class roster. Just your simple every day kids, nothing odd about them.

"These are the students enrolled at the Institute, and each and every one of them have a genetic mutation of some kind," he went on. Bridgette shook her head, confused.

"What do you mean they have a mutation? Is this some kind of Hydra division or something? Are these kids in trouble?" she asked. Bruce glanced over at her, noticing her concern. He shyed a step closer so that their arms could brush and she gave him fleeting appreciative glance, focus back to Fury.

"No, it isn't like Hydra," he answered. "Professor Xavier takes in students who are born with genetic mutation. A type of haven from society. He's providing them shelter and an opportunity to better control their mutations."

"So why are we acting as ambassadors? What do you need us for?" asked Bruce. Fury wiped the screen clean for the moment, hands behind his back.

"Xavier is a very private individual and refuses to share any information involving his school and the students, which is of interest to SHIELD as they all are potential threats. Just like the rest of you," he added.

"So you want us to get you your information," guessed Banner. "You want us to spy."

"I would rest easier knowing that two of our men were on the inside, so to act as an extra defense against the public for the students, and in exchange, establish a trust with Professor Xavier and the Institute." Bridgette fidgeted, folding her arms.

"So why is this so difficult? I mean, why doesn't Xavier trust you already? Because you're super secret government?" she asked. "Why is this giving you so much trouble?"

He gave a hard sigh. "Xavier isn't particularly found of us because we are like the government, no matter how often I've said that we are seperate, and because of the Avengers."

Steve and Tony stepped forward in interest, the Captain speaking up. "Wait, why would they have a problem with us? We've just now heard of their institute."

"And equally disliked by society, thanks," added Tony. "What makes them better than us?"

"Xavier and the students don't exactly favor the Avengers because none of you were born with your abilities," said Fury. "Stark is all mechanical advancement, while the rest of you were created from science. Their argument is that none of you were born with super strength or any other oddities. You all chose to be the way you are."

* * *

Bruce sighed, removing his glasses so to set them on the nightstand. He pinched the bridge of his nose as he released another breath, sitting on the edge of his bed. Tomorrow they were going to leave for the institute. Fury had managed to make arrangements for the pair, and Xavier had agreed due to the commotion they had caused in the city. The Professor was understanding and sympathetic to their need to lay low for awhile. Whether or not Fury knew that playing the sympathy card would gain him access to the institute was another debate for another day.

Groaning, he flopped back onto the mattress, tired. He was ready to sleep, only wearing sweatpants and he ran his hands through his hair again, mussing the curls further. Covering his eyes with his arm, he debated sleeping as he was, half off the bed when there was a knock at his door. Fighting another groan, he looked over and half glared. If it was Tony he was not going to be happy. He was trying to mentally prepare himself for the flying he would be enduring in the morning, as it was definitely not his favorite way to travel. The last thing he needed was a science lab all nighter.

Scuffing his feet, he made his way over and opened the door.

"Listen Tony-" His words died in his throat when he had to angle his gaze downward to see the form of Bridgette Smith before him. She was wearing a tanktop and some sweatpants that were clearly too big for her. Her arms were crossed, cheeks a shade pink.

"Sorry to disappoint, not Tony," she teased. "A bit more clean shaven, and a heck of a lot cuter, in my opinion."

"O-obviously," he managed, heat creeping up the back of his neck. "Wh-what, ahem, what brings you here?" He knew she was staying at Stark Tower for the night to avoid anyone recognizing her if she tried to make her way to her apartment. He thought she went to bed earlier, using one of the many spare rooms the tower provided. What was she doing still up?

She shrugged, eyes lowered. "Mind if I bunk over?" His heart jumped at her words and he scarcely registered his body's movement as he stepped aside to allow her enterence.

"Not...not at all," he managed. Suddenly he was hyperly aware of the fact that he wasn't wearing a shirt and had to swallow the urge to grab something from his closet. His common sense returned, stating that Bridgette had seen him numerous times without a shirt due to his Hulk sessions. That his body wasn't new to her. The fact only made him blush a darker shade.

She stepped inside and looked around. "How do you like living here? Better than out in the woods, I hope?" she smiled. He gave a breath of a laugh as well.

"Yes, running water is a plus," he confirmed. There was a moment of awkward silence as the two simply stood, facing each other in his room. The seconds ticked by and Bridgette ruffled her hair.

"I-I'm sorry, I shouldn't have come over-you were probably working or something-I wasn't thinking-" she rambled as she moved to head for the door. His arm caught her waist, stilling her from continuing her escape. Of course she was nervous and unsure, they both were. About their relationship. About what they were comfortable with. About what they were allowed to do. Though Bridgette was much more forward with her general affection, as per her personality, there were moments when she would freeze, like now.

"It's all right," he reassured. "I was actually just about to go to bed." It felt so nice to have her body near his, even now in their partial embrace from him catching her to prevent her from leaving. The material of her shirt, the light grazing her own arms wrapping around his to keep steady. Simple touches that set both of their nerves alight with electricity. Blue eyes glanced tentatively up at him.

"You sure?" He leaned down and kissed her cheek lightly.

"Positive." She took a breath and nodded, the two turning to move toward the bed.

The bed itself wasn't anything special, Bruce didn't want anything extravagant like Tony favored. A simple bed that fulfilled it's purpose. Although it was mildly enhanced in strength, a just-in-case of a Hulk out due to a dream or anything of the sort. Unconscious Hulk outs were few and far between for the doctor, for which he was thankful. It was hard enough to keep a lid on the other guy when he was awake, let alone having to spend energy while sleeping. The two approached the bed that was neatly tucked in the corner of the room. As soon as they were standing beside the piece of furniture, the size of the bed suddenly dawned on the doctor.

"Ah..." he groaned. "I'm afraid it'll be...a bit snug." Bridgette laughed in agreement.

"Again, you sure you don't mind? You strike me as a bit of a bed hog," she smiled. He huffed, pretending to be offended as he tugged back the covers. To answer her question, he pulled her down as he took a seat, the springs creaking under their collective weight. He leaned close, their foreheads touching as he sighed, eyes closed.

"I'm tired, so please, no more questions," he begged. Bridgette gave a laugh and agreed, stealing a quick kiss, his hand resting at her waist. Keeping to her promise, she quickly settled under the covers, taking the space next to the wall. Exhausted, Bruce got up once more the go switch the lights off, padding back to his bed cautiously, not wanting to step on a stray pen or anything of the sort.

It was strange, sharing his bed with another. After so long of being unable to even be near people, the close contact was foriegn. He pulled the blankets up and over them, his head hitting the pillow with a satisfying thud. Their bodies were pinned to each other, so that he wouldn't roll off the edge and her hand rested on his waist as a preventative. His arm wrapped around her and she fit perfectly beneath his chin, her breaths soft against his chest. Brown eyes glanced down to see that she was already gone, softly snoring. Smiling to himself, he closed his eyes, sleep dragging him under all the quicker due to being entirely content.

* * *

**REVIEW! A bit slow (and short, sorry), some info, some Bruce x Bridgette fluffiness! Yay! My favorite personally, lol. Your thoughts would be lovely as always! And I must say, it is so incredibly flattering to see some of my ol' faithful reviewers (you know who you are ;)) back for this story! It really means a lot and I appreciate each and every one of you! P.s. My X-Men knowledge is a scramble mess of the X-Men movies and the cartoon X-Men: Evolution, so please bear with me! Thanks!**

**Hope you enjoyed!**


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